Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services has earned initial accreditation of its in-house paramedic training program, action that officials say vastly increases the department’s ability to field personnel qualified to provide advanced life support.
“It’s a milestone for our department, one of the few in Georgia that has it,” said County Commission Chairman Harry Johnston.
The county was recently notified that the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs had awarded initial accreditation, capping a more-than three-year process. The accreditation is good for five years.
The department can train 20 paramedic candidates over an approximately 18-month period, as opposed to four per year through a university program, officials said. Demand is high for the professionals; Cherokee’s paramedic pool has grown from about 70 three years ago to roughly 125 today.
All department ambulances have at least one paramedic on board, and it’s the county’s goal to have a paramedic on every fire truck as well, Johnston said.
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